A man steps into the centre of a large sandy pit. He gets down on his knees. In front of him, a pair of doors swing open and a 500-kilo bull charges the kneeling figure. This is the story of Antonio Barrera, holder of the dubious title of ‘most gored bullfighter in modern history’ with 23 gores under his belt, and that opening scene is footage from his final bullfight in December 2012. Exploring both the life of Barrera and the unbelievably dangerous sport / art form of bullfighting in close detail, ‘Gored’ cuts between edge-of-your-seat footage from the ring and interviews with Barrera’s family, who give insights to his fascinating character and compulsion to face down death itself. The way he sees it the bullfight is the ultimate experience, the most intimate of relationships and a fine dance between man and beast, a perspective shared by many – the film’s poster bears the tagline ‘Gored, a Love Story’. All the while, the film maintains a gut-clenching tension as it cuts back to that final fight: will the man on his knees avoid the charging bull, or will he be gored for the 24th – and maybe final – time?